Applying for PR through the Parents and Grandparents Program? Avoid these common mistakes

If you’ve received an invitation to apply in response to your interest to sponsor form, this may be your only opportunity to sponsor your parent(s) or grandparent(s) for permanent residency.

To maximize your chances of a successful application, avoid the following common mistakes:

Sponsor your parents and grandparents for Canadian immigration

Error	Potential results	Steps to avoid
Submitting incomplete applications	Return of application and refusal to process	Use reference materials on IRCC’s website
Responses sent to no-reply IRCC email addresses	Documents not received, application returned	Check emails and use webform where relevant
Information in the interest-to-sponsor form not aligning with the application	Application refused	Double check information in interest-to-sponsor form
Incorrectly signing application forms	Application marked incomplete	Double check and use validation process
Parents or Grandparents omitting unemployment periods	Application refused	Update resumes and public profiles

Submitting incomplete applications

One of the most common reasons that applications for sponsorship under the PGP get rejected is due to their incompleteness.

If an application is incomplete, IRCC will send you a letter requesting the missing documents. This letter must be replied to within 30 days, by following the instructions therein to submit the full documents. If the letter is not replied to in that time frame, your application will be returned without being processed.

In these cases, the sponsors must resubmit an interest-to-sponsor form in a new intake period, with the hopes of receiving another ITA.

Keeping in mind that IRCC has not held a new prospective sponsor intake since 2020, and that the department selects sponsors for ITAs through lottery, sponsors who have their application returned for incompleteness may have to wait a significant period of time simply receive another chance of sponsoring their parents or grandparents.

How can this be avoided?

IRCC has multiple reference materials that both sponsors and sponsored individuals can use to make sure that they have included all necessary documents and fees in their application.

The official document checklist can be accessed here.

Responses sent to no-reply IRCC email addresses

Responding to “donotreply” IRCC email addresses can often be a significant error in the context of PGP applications.

There may be several contexts in which applicants will need to respond to IRCC, including submitting missing documents, updating important information on an application, or responding to an IRCC officer who has requested further information with regard to a certain aspect of an application.

Many of these emails do not issue an automatic reply, so the lack of an auto-reply does not indicate that you’ve emailed an actively monitored IRCC email address.

How can this be avoided?

First and foremost, ensure that email addresses you are replying to do not contain a “donotreply” tag, or any similar identifiers in the address.

In cases where IRCC contacts applicants directly to submit more information, they will often include specific instructions to applicants, detailing how and where they should reply.

The department also suggests using the official web form when updating any information in the submitted application. IRCC further advises not to submit any updates to an application via email.

Sponsor your parents and grandparents for Canadian immigration

Information in the interest-to-sponsor form not aligning with the application

Another common reason that applications are rejected is information from the interest-to-sponsor from not conforming with information given within the application.

In such cases, IRCC may conclude that an ITA has been given under false pretences, and may move to reject the application altogether.

How can this be avoided?

This can be a difficult problem for those applying this year who may have made an innocent error in consistency – easily done, since the original interest-to-sponsor forms were submitted in 2020.

With this in mind, applicants can double check that all the information from their application aligns with the previously submitted interest to sponsor form.

In addition, applicants should note that misrepresentation within an application can have grave consequences to any immigration application and can occur even without express intention to do so on the part of the applicant.

Incorrectly signing application forms

In these cases, applicants must ensure that (if directed to do so) they electronically sign their application forms using the in-built sign feature.

Paper applications must usually be signed, as well.

While largely self-explanatory, applicants should also take note of certain forms that need to be validated.

Some application forms will require that applicants properly validate the form, ensuring that a 2D barcode is generated, which allows IRCC to ensure that all the needed fields have been completed.

To validate an application form, click on the “Validate” button, which will appear either at the top or the bottom of the application form.

More information on validating an application can be found on IRCC’s webpage.

Note: To complete IRCC application forms, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader 10, or higher.

Parents or Grandparents omitting unemployment periods

Though IRCC documentation can be unclear about the exact requirement around specifying unemployment periods, omitting these from an application or attached resume can sometimes be lead to refusal.

How can this be avoided?

The simple answer is to update resumes of the principal applicant (the sponsored individual) and any dependents, such that they include these unemployment periods where relevant.

It's also a good idea to update the applicant(s)' LinkedIn, and any other public-facing employment records to ensure consistency with the submitted application.

Sponsor your parents and grandparents for Canadian immigration